The current process for configuring and deploying computer network elements is inefficient. A typical process consists of the following steps: (1) A customer submits an order to a network provider. (2) The provider submits an order to an equipment manufacturer. (3) The element is shipped from the manufacturer to a staging area maintained by the provider. (4) The element is configured at the staging area. (5) The element is shipped to the customer. (6) The element is connected to the network and enters normal operation.
The staging area is a source of inefficiency in this process. It requires cost and time to ship elements from the manufacturer to the staging area and from the staging area to the customer. Network and service providers typically maintain an inventory of elements at the staging area. This represents additional cost.
A significant savings could be achieved by eliminating the staging area. Unfortunately, the configuration data that must be installed on an element contains sensitive customer information. For example, router configuration can contain network addresses, encryption keys, and other data that would enable a computer hacker to seriously disrupt the operations of a network. This information cannot be shared with a manufacturer. Therefore, it is applied to the element in the secure environment of a staging area. The device is then shipped to a customer site.